PHS 123 LIKELY QUESTION BY ANONYMOUS

1. SPIRAL SPRING & SIMPLE PENDULUM

Define simple harmonic motion. What conditions must be met?

Simple harmonic motion (SHM) is a type of oscillatory motion in which a particle or object
experiences a restoring force that is directly proportional to the displacement of the object from its
equilibrium position, and acts in the direction opposite to the displacement.
There are a few conditions that must be met for SHM to occur:
The restoring force must be directly proportional to the displacement of the object from its
equilibrium position.
The restoring force must be in the opposite direction to the displacement.
The motion must be in one dimension (i.e. back and forth along a straight line).

What physical phenomenon does the relationship T = 2π sqr(m/ k) describe?

The relationship you've given, T = 2π sqr(m/ k), describes the period of a simple harmonic motion
(SHM) system.
The period is the time it takes for the object to complete one full oscillation back and forth from
its equilibrium position. It is directly proportional to the square root of the ratio of the mass of the
object (m) to the spring constant (k).

What physical phenomenon does the relationship T = 2π sqr (l/g) describe?

The relationship T = 2π sqr(l/g) describes the period of a simple pendulum.
The period is the time it takes for the pendulum to swing from one side to the other, back to the
equilibrium position. It's directly proportional to the square root of the ratio of the length of the
pendulum (l) to the acceleration due to gravity (g).

What are some uncertainties involved when using the Hooke’s law method?
When using Hooke's law to determine the spring constant, there are several uncertainties that can
arise:
Error in the measurement of the spring length: This is due to the imperfection of the measuring
instrument and can introduce a systematic error in the calculation of the spring constant.
Damping effects: Friction between the spring and its surroundings can cause the oscillation to
decay over time, which can affect the accuracy of the measured period.
Non-linearity: Some springs may not behave in a perfectly linear fashion, especially if they are
stretched beyond their elastic limit.

What uncertainties are involved with the oscillation method?

Initial displacement of the spring: The initial displacement of the spring from its equilibrium
position can affect the accuracy of the period measurement.
Timing errors: The accuracy of the timer used to measure the period of oscillation can introduce
uncertainty.
Damping effects: As with the Hooke's law method, friction between the spring and its surroundings
can introduce uncertainty.
Additionally, temperature can affect the spring constant, so the experiment should be performed
under controlled conditions.🧪📈
State Hooke's Law
Hooke's Law states that the force (F) exerted by a spring is proportional to the amount of stretch
or compression (x) it undergoes, and the constant of proportionality is the spring constant (k).
This can be expressed mathematically as:
F = -kx

When does the mass-spring system attain (i) the maximum kinetic energy and (ii) the
maximum potential energy during vibration? How does the total energy of the mass-spring
system vary during free vibration?

During free vibration of a mass-spring system:

(i) The maximum kinetic energy is attained when the mass is at equilibrium position, i.e., x = 0. At
this point, the velocity is maximum and the spring force acts as the restoring force.
(ii) The maximum potential energy is attained at the maximum displacement of the mass, when the
spring is fully compressed or fully extended. The system is momentarily stationary at this point, so
the kinetic energy is zero, while the potential energy is maximum.
The total energy (E) of the mass-spring system remains constant during free vibration.
How does spring constant depend on the material and the length of the spring?
The spring constant depends on the material and length of the spring in the following ways:
- Material: Stiffer materials like steel have a higher spring constant than more flexible materials
like nylon or rubber. The spring constant k is directly proportional to the material's Young's
modulus, E. Stiffer materials have a higher E, resulting in a higher k.
- Length: For a given material, longer springs have a lower spring constant than shorter springs.
The spring constant k is inversely proportional to the spring's length, l. All other factors being
equal, doubling the length of a spring cuts its spring constant in half.
- Mathematically, the spring constant k is given by:
k = (3EI)/l^3

What will be the nature of vibration if the loaded spring is stretched not exactly along a vertical
straight line path?
If a loaded spring is stretched not along a perfectly vertical straight line path but at a slight
angle, the nature of its vibration would be:
- Elliptical/Oval Path: The motion of the spring would trace out an elliptical or oval shaped path
rather than a simple up-down vertical line. This is because there is now a horizontal component to
the displacement in addition to the vertical displacement.
- Coupled Motion: The vertical and horizontal displacements would become coupled/linked. The
motion in one direction affects and influences the motion in the other direction. It would no longer
be a simple harmonic motion in just the vertical plane.
- Higher Frequency: Compared to vertical displacement alone, the additional freedom of motion in
the horizontal direction would likely result in a higher natural frequency of vibration.
- Damping Effects: Frictional or damping effects of the surrounding medium may start playing a
more prominent role due to the increased transverse/horizontal motion and coupling between the
two directions.

If a particle moves with simple harmonic motion, then its periodic time can be defined as the
time taken by the particle to complete one oscillation. Is it true or false?
The above statement is true because, according to the definition of the time period, periodic time is
defined as the time taken by a particle to complete one oscillation while moving in simple harmonic
motion.

What is a simple pendulum?

A device suspended from fixed support where its point mass is attached to a light string that
cannot stretch itself, no matter how much you pull (inextensible), is known as a simple pendulum.
The mean position of a simple pendulum is the vertical line passing through the fixed support.

In a uniform circular motion, the angular speed of a body is equivalent to the angular frequency
of SHM of its projection. Is it true or false?

The statement is true.

Let us assume ‘w’ be the angular speed of the body starting from rest (x-axis), and it has covered
an angle of ‘wt’ at any time ‘t’.

Now, on the x-axis, the projection will be given by: x = Asin(wt).

Therefore, this shows that the angular frequency of SHM will be the same as the angular speed.

PRECAUTIONS ON SPIRAL SPRING EXPERIMENT

The ruler was carefully viewed from all angles to ensure that it was vertical (unlike the one on the
right).
A pointer was used to help read the scale on the ruler. The scale had to be viewed at eye level to
avoid parallax error.
Readings of the 'ruler reading' were noted down - no mental maths involved- extensions etc. were
worked out later!
The experimenter had to be sure the spring system was stationary before a reading was taken.
At the end of each set of readings the position of the ruler was adjusted before the experiment was
repeated. This was to avoid 'repeat' errors (looking for the reading value from the previous set of
results!)

PRECAUTIONS ON SIMPLE PENDULUM

1. The thread should be very light and strong.
2. The point of suspension should be reasonably rigid.
3. The pendulum should oscillate in the vertical plane without any spin motion.
4. The floor of the laboratory should not have vibration, which may cause a deviation from
the regular oscillation of the pendulum.
5. The amplitude of vibration should be small (less than 15) .
6. The length of the pendulum should be as large as possible in the given situation.’
7. Determination of time for 20 or more oscillations should be carefully taken and repeated
for at least three times.
8. There must not be strong wind blowing during the experiment.

2. CANTILEVER

Tensile forces are applied to an object when a force is applied in opposite directions to each end of
the object, causing a stretching effect.

The tensile stress is equal to the force applied per unit of cross-sectional area

𝜎=𝐹/𝐴

The tensile strain of an object under load is defined as the extension per unit of original length.
As an equation, this is written as:

ϵ= L/ΔL
Young’s modulus is the ratio of tensile stress divided by tensile strain. This can be written in the
form:

Young’s Modulus=Stress/Strain

Hooke’s Law

Hooke's Law, also known as the law of elasticity, was discovered by the English scientist Robert
Hooke in 1660. It states that when an object experiences a relatively small deformation, the size
of the deformation is directly proportional to the deforming load or force applied to it.

Mathematically, Hooke's Law can be expressed as Fs = kx, where **Fs is the force needed to
extend or compress a spring, k is a constant factor known as the spring constant or stiffness, and
x is the displacement or change in length of the spring.

The figure above shows : A stress-strain graph

Limit of proportionality – the point at which the graph first starts to curve. This shows the point
where the material no longer obeys Hooke’s law.

Yield strength– this is the first turning point of the graph and represents where the material
yields. At this point an increase in strain can be seen without an increase in stress showing the
material yielding.

Maximum tensile stress – the highest point on the graph. This shows the maximum force per unit
cross sectional area.

Breaking point – the endpoint of the curve. At this point the material has snapped and therefore
has no stress being applied.

The elastic strain energy is the energy stored in the material due to the work being done on the
material in stretching it.

PRECAUTIONS ON CANTILEVER
Calibration: Ensure that the equipmcalibrated before starting the experiment. This helps to ensure
the accuracy oeasurements.
1. Cleanliness: Keep the cantilever and all equipment clean to prevent any
interference or inaccuracies in the measurements. Dust or dirt on the equipment
can affect the results.
 2. Temperature: Try to maintain a constant temperature throughout the experiment,
as temperature fluctuations can affect the material properties being measured.
3. Handling: Handle the cantilever and any weights or loads carefully to avoid
damaging the equipment or introducing errors into the measurements.
4. Alignment: Ensure that the cantilever is properly aligned and positioned before
taking measurements. Misalignment can lead to inaccurate results.
5. Zeroing: Zero the instruments before taking measurements to account for any
offsets or errors in the equipment.
6. Avoid overloading: Do not exceed the maximum load capacity of the cantilever or
the equipment being used. Overloading can lead to deformation or damage to the
material being tested.
7. Repeatability: Perform multiple trials and ensure that the results are repeatable
and consistent. This helps to verify the accuracy of the measurements.
8. Data recording: Record all measurements and observations accurately and clearly
to avoid errors in data analysis later on.

3. Experiment on rectangular glass prism

One of the simplest experiments performed by students studying refraction of light uses a
rectangular glass prism and four pins.
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION, CRITICAL ANGLE
The term “total internal reflection” refers to a complete reflection associated with the ray of light
in the mediums of glass or water from the nearby medium and returns to the previous medium.
Critical angle occurs in two special cases, one, when the ray of light within the dense medium
travels to quite a less dense medium. Another condition at which “critical angle” occurs is when the
incidence angle associated with the ray of light is greater than that of the stated “critical angle”.

a) What do you mean by refraction?

b) What is the angle of refraction when the angle of incidence is zero? c) What is optical density?
 d) Does a parallel side glass slab produce any deviation in the incident light?
e) Can angle of refraction be greater than the angle of incidence?
f) Is the refractive index of water w.r.t. glass less or more than 1?
g) What are the factors on which the lateral displacement produced by a glass slab depends?

Refraction

Refraction refers to the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another, resulting in a
change in the direction of the light wave. This phenomenon occurs due to the change in the speed
of light when it transitions between different media. When light travels from a medium with a
higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index, it bends away from the normal
line, which is an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface of the interface between the two
media. Conversely, when light travels from a medium with a lower refractive index to a medium with
a higher refractive index, it bends towards the normal line.

The bending of light during refraction is governed by Snell's law, which states that the ratio of
the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is equal to the ratio of the
speeds of light in the two media. Mathematically, Snell's law can be expressed as:

**n₁sin(θ₁) = n₂sin(θ₂)**

Where:
- **n₁** and **n₂** are the refractive indices of the two media,
- **θ₁** is the angle of incidence, and
- **θ₂** is the angle of refraction.

b) When the angle of incidence is zero, the angle of refraction will also be zero. This is because the
light ray is traveling perpendicular to the interface between the two media, resulting in no change
in direction.
c) Optical density refers to the measure of how much a material slows down the speed of light as it
passes through it. It is determined by the refractive index of the material, which is the ratio of
the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the material.

d) No, a parallel-sided glass slab does not produce any deviation in the incident light. This is
because the light rays incident on the slab are parallel to each other, and when they enter and
exit the slab, they continue to remain parallel without any change in direction.

e) Yes, the angle of refraction can be greater than the angle of incidence. This occurs when light
travels from a medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index. In
such cases, the light bends away from the normal line, resulting in a larger angle of refraction.

f) The refractive index of water with respect to glass is greater than 1. The refractive index of a
medium is a measure of how much the speed of light is reduced when it passes through that medium
compared to its speed in a vacuum. Water has a higher refractive index than glass, indicating that
light slows down more in water than in glass.

g) The lateral displacement produced by a glass slab depends on several factors, including the
thickness of the slab, the angle of incidence, and the refractive indices of the media involved. The
greater the thickness of the slab and the larger the angle of incidence, the greater the lateral
displacement will be. Additionally, the refractive indices of the media will also affect the amount of
lateral displacement.

To summarize, refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. It is
governed by Snell's law, which relates the angles of incidence and refraction to the refractive
indices of the media involved. The angle of refraction can be greater than the angle of incidence,
and the refractive index of water with respect to glass is greater than 1. The lateral displacement
produced by a glass slab depends on factors such as thickness, angle of incidence, and refractive
indices.

PRECAUTIONS ON REFRACTIVE INDEX

- Ensured pins are vertical/ erect.
- Ensured neat traces/sharp pencil (shown on trace)
- Ensured reasonable spacing of pins (about 4cm apart)
- Avoided parallax error in reading protractor/metre rule.

(1) All the faces of the prism should be neat and clean.

(2) Pins for holding the paper on the drawing board must be pinned perpendicular to the paper for
better handling.

(3) While fixing the pins for checking the refractive index of the prism, make sure that the
reflective images of the pins should be aligned to your eye to avoid any type of parallax error.

(4) Pins should not be removed or pinned again during the experiment.

(5) Avoid mishandling of the prism.

(6) Same edge of the prism should be taken as vertex for observations.